Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is take to ensure that young people are made aware of the benefits to society of signing-up to be an (a) organ, (b) blood and (c) stem cell donor.

The national curriculum includes substantial content that can inform pupils about organ, stem cell and blood donation. Pupils are taught about the function of the heart, blood vessels and blood as part of Key Stage 2 science, and about stem cells as part of Key Stage 4 science. The national curriculum is compulsory in state maintained schools, and is often used as a benchmark by academies.

The Government is proposing to introduce compulsory Health Education, alongside Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and is currently consulting on draft regulations and draft statutory guidance on the subjects. Under the topic of physical health and fitness, the draft guidance sets out that pupils should know the facts about wider issues such as organ and blood donation.

The Department hopes as many people as possible will contribute to the consultation, which closes on 7 November, will consider feedback through this process, and may revise the guidance following analysis of the findings.